About the Foundation

Mission Statement

The mission of the Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation is to preserve the history and heritage of the Canadian Transit Industry, and to encourage the cooperation, knowledge and involvement of all parties to achieve this goal.

The Foundation

Where are Canada's historic transit artifacts? How is their future being secured? What can Canadians learn about the past and future of transit from them? The Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation wants to preserve the past - and provide for the future. This is an invitation for you and your organization to become a Member of this unique organization.

People understand more about the future of our environment by looking at a natural history museum. You understand what's happening to nations today by reading their history

Canada can understand and appreciate - more of the history of transit by knowing how this country's transit evolved, and the relationship of public transit to the growth of cities.

That's what the Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation is about; reaching out to the public telling them about what transit has done and can do, showing that transit systems are part of our history and a part of what makes the country work. It should demonstrate that the decisions the public makes now would have impact for generations.

We're looking for a very different kind of member.

We want people who have dedicated a good part of themselves to transit:

People who work with Canadian transit systems - and the transit systems themselves as corporate entities.
Special interest organizations: bus and rail historical organizations, traction modelers.
Other heritage organizations: so that we can have the benefit of sharing information.
Members of the Canadian Urban Transit Association.
Archivists and historians.
Anyone with a personal interest in transit.

Work carried on by the Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation is entirely through the efforts of volunteers concerned about preserving, recording and sharing the rich heritage of public transit in Canada.

Bring us some history

Do you have old transit advertising posters? An old uniform? Photos? The Foundation wants to hear about them.

Right now, there are no short-term plans for a formal museum. The Foundation is taking inventory of existing collections, identifying items for future preservation and receiving items for future display. Plans are to develop a public access outreach program.

Another project: keeping an ongoing record of transit history through interviews with people who've been part of it. The Foundation has also produced a number of books and other items, including the Street Side Guide to Urban Transit Fleets in Canada.

Ongoing services, networking and more.